a) What exactly is meant by depravity?
a) What is regeneration? is it a Calvinist doctrine. Thanks
a) What is regeneration? is it a Calvinist doctrine. Thanks
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2 questions about John Calvin's doctrine
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file13
A wild boar has entered in the vineyard
Howdy Texan brother! 
My apologies on behalf of the community for the late response (this sub forum dosen't get a lot of traffic), but better late then never I guess! 
A quick clarification before I answer your questions. First of all, these notions are not unique to Calvin. We would argue that they come directly from Scripture. Second, we would point out that these interpretations of Scripture were explicitly made long before Calvin was ever born, most explicitly and thoroughly by Augustine and approved in local church councils. So really Calvin is not unique in these interpretations and of course, we would say these interpretations are plainly drawn from Scripture.
When most folks think of "Calvinism" they generally think of TULIP (which is just an acrostic to aid people's memory about these doctrines of grace), and the T in TULIP means "Total depravity." Many Calvinists don't particularly care for this term because it's misleading, but stick to it because otherwise we'd mess up that nice English acrostic. But what is meant by Total Depravity is not that people are as bad as they possibly could be, but rather that there is no aspect of human existence which is not tainted with sin. I.e. all of our senses and our minds our tainted with sin.
As a former EO Christian, I'd imagine you're familiar with this notion from Psalm 50 (in their ordering, Psalm 51 for Protestants), but this notion that sin effects everything in our lives is found in many places of Scripture. But the key point behind Total Depravity is that we are incapable of not sinning. We are thus, dead, completely dead in sin. This also means that since we are dead, we're incapable of not only not sinning, but also of even coming to confess Christ unless the Holy Spirit first intervenes and draws them to the Father:
Ok, so now that we know that if people are indeed completely depraved and cannot even want to chose Christ unless the Spirit drags them to Him, we're in a position to understand regeneration.
What we mean by regeneration is that the Holy Spirit draws us which in Greek literally means drags us forcefully. Here are the translation notes from the NET Bible regarding John 6:44:
So when we speak about regeneration, we're not just meaning that we've been born again (or from above), which we have, but more specifically that we're born again because God saved us! In Jesus Christ we have a real savior who really saves sinners, not a potential savior who makes salvation possible if you do a bunch of works.
This is the interesting thing about the doctrines of grace (or TULIP) is that there aren't really 5 points at all. Just one. Total depravity. If we are really dead in sin and are unable to even come to Christ without outside intervention, then it also means that our entire salvation comes from above.
Does that make sense?
In any case, if your interested in learning more, I'd recommend this thin little book. I picked up a used copy of this at Half-Price books to actually learn what Calvinists believed. I ended up throwing the book across the room numerous times because it challenged everything I believed so deeply, but worse, because I had no argument to the contrary given that it is all quite plain in Scripture if we allow it to speak without injecting our presuppositions into it. But make no mistake, these are tough doctrines because they cut right into the very heart of human pride and arrogance that says "I can save myself." These doctrines of God's grace to helpless sinners will challenge and upset you. In fact, I'd reckon that Romans 9 is by far, the most disturbing chapter in the whole Bible...until you start to realize that it's not all about you, but about Him who calls...when you realize what grace really means and what salvation actually means...to be saved by a real savior who really saves....
Hope this helps and God bless brother!
My apologies on behalf of the community for the late response (this sub forum dosen't get a lot of traffic), but better late then never I guess! A quick clarification before I answer your questions. First of all, these notions are not unique to Calvin. We would argue that they come directly from Scripture. Second, we would point out that these interpretations of Scripture were explicitly made long before Calvin was ever born, most explicitly and thoroughly by Augustine and approved in local church councils. So really Calvin is not unique in these interpretations and of course, we would say these interpretations are plainly drawn from Scripture.
When most folks think of "Calvinism" they generally think of TULIP (which is just an acrostic to aid people's memory about these doctrines of grace), and the T in TULIP means "Total depravity." Many Calvinists don't particularly care for this term because it's misleading, but stick to it because otherwise we'd mess up that nice English acrostic. But what is meant by Total Depravity is not that people are as bad as they possibly could be, but rather that there is no aspect of human existence which is not tainted with sin. I.e. all of our senses and our minds our tainted with sin.
As a former EO Christian, I'd imagine you're familiar with this notion from Psalm 50 (in their ordering, Psalm 51 for Protestants), but this notion that sin effects everything in our lives is found in many places of Scripture. But the key point behind Total Depravity is that we are incapable of not sinning. We are thus, dead, completely dead in sin. This also means that since we are dead, we're incapable of not only not sinning, but also of even coming to confess Christ unless the Holy Spirit first intervenes and draws them to the Father:
No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day.
(John 6:44 ESV)
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
(John 6:65 ESV)
According to Christ Himself, we can't choose Christ. He in fact, chooses us and only when God first draws us to Him through the Spirit can we even want to not sin.(John 6:44 ESV)
And he said, “This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless it is granted him by the Father.”
(John 6:65 ESV)
You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should abide, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he may give it to you.
(John 15:16 ESV)
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
(John 15:19 ESV)
So basically, total depravity means that we are hopeless wretched sinners who can do nothing of ourselves. We cannot even want Christ unless God first comes to our aid.(John 15:16 ESV)
If you were of the world, the world would love you as its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.
(John 15:19 ESV)
Ok, so now that we know that if people are indeed completely depraved and cannot even want to chose Christ unless the Spirit drags them to Him, we're in a position to understand regeneration.
What we mean by regeneration is that the Holy Spirit draws us which in Greek literally means drags us forcefully. Here are the translation notes from the NET Bible regarding John 6:44:
Or “attracts him,” or “pulls him.” The word is used of pulling or dragging, often by force. It is even used once of magnetic attraction (A. Oepke, TDNT 2:503).sn The Father who sent me draws him. The author never specifically explains what this “drawing” consists of. It is evidently some kind of attraction; whether it is binding and irresistible or not is not mentioned. But there does seem to be a parallel with 6:65, where Jesus says that no one is able to come to him unless the Father has allowed it. This apparently parallels the use of Isaiah by John to reflect the spiritual blindness of the Jewish leaders (see the quotations from Isaiah in John 9:41 and 12:39-40).
We would then connect this to:
he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,
(Titus 3:5 ESV)
So what we see happening is that people are completely depraved and incapable of even wanting Christ because they are enslaved to sin. We also see that Christ says that we are unable (i.e. can not) to come to Him unless the Father drags us to Him. Finally we see that it is the Holy Spirit who actually does the dragging. So when we put this all together in order, we get what is sometimes called in theology, the ordo salutis. For Calvinists (Reformed) this goes as follows:(Titus 3:5 ESV)
In the Reformed camp, the ordo salutis is 1) election, 2) predestination, 3) gospel call 4) inward call 5) regeneration, 6) conversion (faith & repentance), 7) justification, 8) sanctification, and 9) glorification. (Rom 8:29-30)
Notice that regeneration proceeds conversion. We cannot chose Christ without the Spirit dragging us to Him. Also notice that these even proceeds justification. Please keep in mind that for Protestants, justification is a one time event, not a process, just as regeneration is a one time event.
So when we speak about regeneration, we're not just meaning that we've been born again (or from above), which we have, but more specifically that we're born again because God saved us! In Jesus Christ we have a real savior who really saves sinners, not a potential savior who makes salvation possible if you do a bunch of works.
This is the interesting thing about the doctrines of grace (or TULIP) is that there aren't really 5 points at all. Just one. Total depravity. If we are really dead in sin and are unable to even come to Christ without outside intervention, then it also means that our entire salvation comes from above.
Does that make sense?
In any case, if your interested in learning more, I'd recommend this thin little book. I picked up a used copy of this at Half-Price books to actually learn what Calvinists believed. I ended up throwing the book across the room numerous times because it challenged everything I believed so deeply, but worse, because I had no argument to the contrary given that it is all quite plain in Scripture if we allow it to speak without injecting our presuppositions into it. But make no mistake, these are tough doctrines because they cut right into the very heart of human pride and arrogance that says "I can save myself." These doctrines of God's grace to helpless sinners will challenge and upset you. In fact, I'd reckon that Romans 9 is by far, the most disturbing chapter in the whole Bible...until you start to realize that it's not all about you, but about Him who calls...when you realize what grace really means and what salvation actually means...to be saved by a real savior who really saves....
Hope this helps and God bless brother!
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